Posted on 07/30/2005 5:46:03 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah
Over the past fortnight Israeli intelligence agents have noticed something distinctly odd happening on the internet. One by one, Al-Qaeda’s affiliated websites have vanished until only a handful remain, write Uzi Mahnaimi and Alex Pell.
Someone has cut the line of communication between the spiritual leaders of international terrorism and their supporters. Since 9/11 the websites have been the main links to disseminate propaganda and information.
The Israelis detect the hand of British intelligence, determined to torpedo the websites after the London attacks of July 7.
The web has become the new battleground of terrorism, permitting a freedom of communication denied to such organisations as the IRA a couple of decades ago.
One global jihad site terminated recently was an inflammatory Pakistani site, www.mojihedun.com, in which a section entitled How to Strike a European City gave full technical instructions. Tens of similar sites, some offering detailed information on how to build and use biological weapons, have also been shut down. However, Islamic sites believed to be “moderate”, remain.
One belongs to the London-based Syrian cleric Abu Basir al-Tartusi, whose www.abubaseer.bizland.com remained operative after he condemned the London bombings.
However, the scales remain weighted in favour of global jihad, the first virtual terror organisation. For all the vaunted spying advances such as tracking mobile phones and isolating key phrases in telephone conversations, experts believe current technologies actually play into the hands of those who would harm us.
“Modern technology puts most of the advantages in the hands of the terrorists. That is the bottom line,” says Professor Michael Clarke, of King’s College London, who is director of the International Policy Institute.
Government-sponsored monitoring systems, such as Echelon, can track vast amounts of data but have so far proved of minimal benefit in preventing, or even warning, of attacks. And such systems are vulnerable to manipulation: low-ranking volunteers in terrorist organisations can create background chatter that ties up resources and maintains a threshold of anxiety. There are many tricks of the trade that give terrorists secure digital communication and leave no trace on the host computer.
Ironically, the most readily available sources of accurate online information on bomb-making are the websites of the radical American militia. “I have not seen any Al-Qaeda manuals that look like genuine terrorist training,” claims Clarke.
However, the sobering message of many security experts is that the terrorists are unlikely ever to lose a war waged with technology.
Search is your friend?
This article isn't signed, but I can practically guarantee it is not written by a native Englishman. Arabic, Chinese, and many other languages use "tens" where native English speakers would say "dozens."
-ccm
Yup. I suspect their ISP's have had midnight visits from the men in black. You can really screw up a system with nothing more than lineman's pliers and a bag of conductive carbon fibers.
-ccm
That's what I was thinking. Looks like the brits are serious about defending their homeland and have their act together. Another bomb attempt or 2 and they may start eliminating a lot of "civil rights" that these groups hide behind.
My question is why didnt we do this before?
and yes, who are the host.
from my perspective, we could be wadging a cyber war - which is completely different than the boots on the ground aspect.
Many of these web sites were no doubt being hosted (or at least mirrored) from Britain. MI-5 may now be shutting these down.
Interesting DNS lists. Sure looks like there are a lot of sites still active.
Actually I would be supprised and disappointed if it were ONLY the british going after these sites and taking them down.
I suspect that heretofore, it has been in the interests of intelligence to leave the up, as it is then possible to trace access to these sited on a gobal basis, simply by doing packet analysis at the routers along the way. (The vast majority of which are in western hands).
Just as in WWII, the US and Britain did not deny communication to either the German or Japanese forces in preference to "reading their mail", it seems likely more was
learned by watching than by tampering.
However, at some point more can be gained by denial, and that time may have come.
The sites may well be up and running, just null-routed so that no one can get there from most of the western world.
Er, not to be too obvious, but what if the number involved was between 20 and 23...?
In Canada too, I'm sure.
I don't see how this conclusion follows from the rest of the article. Is this just typical MSM doom-saying? Or am I missing something?
Welcome to the iceberg war. 90% of it is waaaay below the surface.
I was thinking the same. We probably know who's looking at the stuff, then track their emails.
And if so, what follows in the next few weeks may be more interesting that the past.
First you cut the phone lines, then you rush the door? Of course, one can only speculate, and perhaps even THAT would qualify as "loose lips".
The Brits are way past us in the art of distilling righteous rage into focused action. The spirit of "They don't know who they're dealing with" started with them. Couple it with competence and that's what we're seeing now.
You could be right.
He was asked which was the best intelligence agency, the CIA, KGB or Israeli Intelligence.
His answer surprised me and the questioner. He said "none of them, the best is British Intelligence". I don't know if that is still true but he thought it was then.
Nor does it follow the facts. The assumption the writer makes is that someone stupid enough to become a suicide bomber is smart enough to turn a Predator Drone to his own purpose, or to take over the internet, or any other "we are going to loose to a bunch of uneducated camel jockies" MSM themes.
If anything, I think this is a sign that the Politically Correct Cadre has been sent to the stables, and now the first string has taken the field.
Well observed!
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